Q: The Broncos’ offense has been better able to move the ball against the Atlanta and Houston defenses late in the second half of both games. How much of that seems to be adjustment by (the Broncos) and how much is related to a change in defensive strategy?

A: Orrin, it was easy to look at the Broncos schedule before the season started and see the run of top-tier quarterbacks the team would face over the first seven games — OK, guilty as charged.

That early season stress on the Broncos defense was one of the broader story lines this past offseason. That’s even as the Broncos have now defeated Ben Roethlisberger followed by losses to Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub over the season’s first three weeks.

Throw in the fact Carson Palmer, Tom Brady, Philip Rivers and Drew Brees are still on the way over the next four games, and it’s still a theme to watch.

But one of the other story lines that has played out to be perhaps an even bigger issue is the next-level experience of the first three defensive coordinators the Broncos have faced this season as they try to settle Peyton Manning into a new offense.

The Broncos faced the Steelers’ Dick LeBeau in Week 1. They faced the Falcons’ Mike Nolan last Monday in Week 2. And Sunday in Week 3, there was the Texans’ Wade Phillips. That makes for three of the most experienced defensive signal-callers in the league with a combined 102 years of NFL coaching experience.

Beyond the Hall of Famer LeBeau’s 14-year playing career as a defensive back, he is now in his 40th year as either an NFL assistant or head coach. Nolan is now in his 26th year as either an NFL assistant or head coach. Phillips is in his 36th year as either an NFL assistant or head coach.

That’s a lot of ground covered and notes taken in professional football.

And it has showed at times over the first three games, especially early in games when their respective plans have been initially unveiled to the Broncos offense. The Broncos have had 19 first-half possessions against the three veteran coaches; they have turned those possessions into eight punts, two fumbles, three interceptions, three field goals, two touchdowns and one end-of-half possession.

With a little time for Manning and the coaching staff to mull over what they have seen against three teams pretty good at playing what they want to, they have had 16 second-half possessions. Denver has turned those possessions into six touchdowns, seven punts, one field goal and two end-of-game possessions.

So, you’re seeing that experience counts, both in the creation of three pretty good defensive plans and in Manning’s adjustments to them. Overall, the Broncos have also dropped too many passes — five in Sunday’s loss alone — and not always blocked well enough in the middle of the field.

The other key statistic, and coach after coach in the NFL will always say it is the most important one when it comes to winning and losing, is the Broncos have not turned the ball over in the second half of their three games, other than the last-play fumble Sunday that came after several laterals as the clock wound down.

That means they simply have taken better care of the ball in the second half of all three games, Manning included.

Their second-half improvements against those three longtime coordinators are just as much good signs as those ugly drops and turnovers are bad ones.

Over the years, it’s also always been clear that teams that expect a lot of themselves, but don’t yet already have a title on their resume somewhere with the current group, will often play tight early in games.

Everyone on the field is pushing to be what they think they can be, so they will over-pursue on defense, squeeze the ball a little too hard on offense. And the Broncos, who have repeatedly made it clear they do expect a great deal of things to happen since Manning’s arrival, do show some of those tendencies at times.

When the game wears on and they eventually find a little rhythm, they play a little cleaner, a little more efficiently and a little closer to their ability level.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tyreek Hill didn’t know what to do when he started hearing thousands of people in Arrowhead Stadium chanting his name, even as he stood all alone on the frozen turf waiting for the punt.